Buying records from Amazon

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Oelewapper, May 18, 2022.

  1. audiomaniac

    audiomaniac Shamalamadingdong

    Location:
    Colorado
    I ordered Tumbleweed Connection from Amazon and it came in a thin plastic bag all beat up. Back it went. I buy records from Acoustic Sounds. They have bullet proof cardboard mailers and have always been very helpful if I have a problem.
     
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  2. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    I stopped buying from them several years ago because of the higher percentage of warped LPs received relative to LPs obtained from other sources. Returns were easy and packaging was fine, but it got tiresome.
     
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  3. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    I just picked it up at the post office. It came all the way across the country (California to NC) in about a week. It was in a plastic bag, no reinforced cardboard box much less a double boxing like the new Coltrane that arrived at the same time!!!!!!! I took it out of the bag, and it had no corner dings, was in an outer sleeve with the hype sticker and a "thanks for giving this record a second chance" sticker. I did a quick inspection and I didn't see the mark noted in the description or any cosmetic damage to the jacket. No apparent warp, looks flat. I'll give it a closer look this evening along with a good cleaning and let everyone know how it sounds.
     
  4. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    FYI I got my refund of the album (which was out of stock) yesterday. Nothing but good experience here from jpc.de
     
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  5. coolhandjjl

    coolhandjjl Embiggened Pompatus

    Location:
    Appleton
    I return at least half, sometimes the replacement needs to be replaced. Haven’t been banned yet in two years of doing this.

    Sometimes I’ll try Bandcamp or the artists website if they sell vinyl there. But shipping is always horribly slow, slower than things I get from Discogs sellers. Returns from Bandcamp or the artists site are always a total PITA.

    The thing about buying from the independents is returns. Sure, they take returns, but people here have said that independents take it on the chin as they can’t return them to the record manufacturers.

    Apparently Acoustic Sounds is big enough to have clout with other manufacturers they get records from. When asking for a return, they often ask for a cell phone video that shows off-center pressings or audio defects. They told me they use those files to get credit back from the manufacturers.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2022
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  6. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    As I posted earlier, the album arrived in a plastic bag! But absolutely no damage in shipping, go figure. There is a slight wrinkle on the front of the jacket, but it looks to me like it is from the manufacture no damage from shipping. I was hoping that a particularly picky buyer had seen that and sent it back. I cleaned the record and observed a number of hairline scratches on both sides. I put on side 1 and it was silent, absolutely no surface noise even between tracks. The record sounds great, my first time hearing it. Flipping it over track 1 of side 2 is the the same. But on track 2 there is about a minute of light surface noise mid-way in. The last track returns to form, no issues at all. Examining track two closely I see a swirling hairline scratch that I think is the problem, but it seems no different from the other hairlines that play through with no issues. I used the dry brush on the side, cleaned the stylus and tried again. It was still there. I don't think this is something that will clear up after several play throughs, but possibly with a ML stylus it might improve. I have a "new" old preamp coming my way that is a significant upgrade. I wonder if that would have any affect on it?

    So Amazon Warehouse used records as others have observed is a crap shoot. That brief bit of SN most likely is what prompted the return. Will I return it? I don't think so. For less than $25 I got a great record that new would have cost, all said and done, about $36. There is a bit of surface noise but it's isolated to a portion of one track, otherwise the album sounds outstanding. Who's to say that a replacement wouldn't end up being a noisy copy all the way through? I'm not planning on constantly buying from returns but an occasional purchase is still a possibility.
     
  7. GordonM

    GordonM Forum Resident

    Location:
    N.Ireland
    I just received a record from Amazon UK which had no packaging whatsoever! The label was just stuck to the shrink-wrap! The sleeve is badly bent - not surprisingly but, remarkably, the record is not cracked.

    I was pretty annoyed and complained via the chat facility. They have issued a refund and I don't have to return the record which I didn't really want the hassle of. I rarely order records from Amazon but I don't think I will doing so again, due to the packaging lottery. CDs I may still order as they seem to packaged OK.

    Anyway, just my experience.
     
  8. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    This is true for a lot of indie shops dealing with most distros and labels. I know this because one of my friends ran a shop for awhile. Most of his distributors would not take any returns. One distro would take returns, but only for unopened product. Another would take returns, but on a case by case basis, and he would have to pay the shipping. Much of the time he would re-sell the return at a huge discount as a used record and disclose the defects in detail.
     
  9. SteveMaturin

    SteveMaturin Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Same thing happened to me last week too. I have seen other examples of it online but this was my first experience of them attempting this with me. Corners creased and edges dented. Back it went. The free return was also not available because the local Hermes/Evri drop off refused to take an unpackaged item (and this applied even if I tried to put it in another Amazon box to make it “packaged”. It was something to do with the return code issued by Amazon. Called up Amazon and complained and rep said she was printing a voucher that would cost me nothing. However, £1.99 deeucted from my refund for their error.

    No more vinyl from Amazon for me. They have other competitors in the UK that offer better service and packaging and are similarly priced.
     
  10. GordonM

    GordonM Forum Resident

    Location:
    N.Ireland
    I was fairly determined to get a refund without having to return it as it seemed pointless hassle due to the state it was in. Thankfully an understanding customer service agent sorted it without me even having to ask not to return it.

    I found it frustrating that there are only options to return the item for replacement or refund on their app - no way to open a dialogue with them. Similarly, the “How did we do?” Email I received only has a link to a thumbs up or thumbs down - where thumbs down just takes you to a return item page.
     
  11. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    Sounds like your order went through a slack or poorly or undertrained employee. That certainly isn't the correct way to ship it. I've had a couple come in a bag with no padding or protection (oddly enough they arrived undamaged) but most often they are in a protective package and then placed in a larger box with padding. Over packed if you will.
     
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  12. GordonM

    GordonM Forum Resident

    Location:
    N.Ireland
    Yeah - I don't think it's policy and I think you're probably right. It's a bit of a lottery though and, despite easy returns, off-putting.
     
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  13. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Yes, the few packing blunders I’ve received, I just assume the person who handled that step of my order in the warehouse didn’t know what they were doing. Amazon makes returns and replacements so easy it’s only a minor inconvenience, really. Not enough of an issue for me to swear them off for future record purchases, which are almost always packed well.
     
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  14. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    You’ll likely get more consistency from a seller that is more specialized in shipping records and not just packing things from a warehouse that includes every type of product under the sun, for sure. I’ve had mostly good experiences from other retailers. However, when I have received a defective or damaged record, the replacement process was far less convenient than what Amazon allows (that’s Amazon US, anyway, I don’t know if Amazon UK has any differences in their policy). So it’s kind of a matter of weighing out where you want to take your chances.
     
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  15. Mark Shred

    Mark Shred Fiery the angels fell..........

    Location:
    Pendle
    Buy from independent stores. They care about music, amazon cares about money and money alone. I'm sure people will then tell me all their horror stories regarding Indy stores...but seriously!!!! Music fans should keep all this within the music scene. Local stores keep our local economy alive. Independent stores keep our Nations economy alive. Amazon pay little in taxes and pay little in wages to most of those who are packing or in the warehouses. Do the right thing and boycott this evil company. They don't need your money !
     
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  16. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I buy used stuff from the local stores, but will not buy new things from them. Amazon/Target all the way for new. They're cheaper and have generous return policies. Mom & Pop are more expensive and don't have return policies. Mom & Pop make comparatively little on new records (as opposed to used anyway.
     
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  17. Nakamichi

    Nakamichi The iceage is coming....

    Location:
    St199nf
    I have bought several records from Anazon and they are always very well packaged and sound fine.
    Not had a problem yet.
     
  18. brucej4

    brucej4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Coast, USA
    Same here. I don't buy a lot from Amazon, but it has been years since I got a record that wasn't in its own sealed cardboard package, usually shipped inside of another carton. One recently was in a plastic mailer rather than a separate carton, but still in its own cardboard package inside the mailer. It may make a difference that I am only buying new or recent issues, no back catalog. Haven't had any real warpage issues either.
     
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  19. lazydawg58

    lazydawg58 Know enough to know how much I don't know

    Location:
    Lillington NC
    On the other hand Amazon has come into regions of our country (and assuming the same is true worldwide) where the economy is depressed, decent paying jobs are rare, and built warehouses and distribution centers that have been a blessing. It's a two edged sword so I wouldn't be so quick to make them out to be the devil.
     
  20. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I have had a couple of warp issues across multiple copies with the same dish warp, for which I was able to get a copy from a different retailer that did not have that warp. So I assume this is something with how Amazon warehoused that title, or perhaps everything I got from Amazon was from the same defective batch warped at the pressing plant, or something. Not a big deal, all I’m out for that experiment is the time it took to open each copy, plus some paper, toner, and packing tape to print the labels and send them back. More annoying than just getting a good copy in the first place, of course, but that is, unfortunately, not a sure thing from any retailer these days, with vinyl records having such a high defect rate.
     
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  21. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    If the independent store would take a return for a defective copy, and not make me wait until they have the bad one back before sending the new one to me, I would gladly do so. But they don’t.

    I’m all for supporting independent — preferably local — businesses, but they have to meet my needs as a consumer. It’s not a charity, right?
     
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  22. GordonM

    GordonM Forum Resident

    Location:
    N.Ireland
    I have had independent online retailers who have sent me a replacement without the defective copy being sent back - sometimes without evidence and a few times I provided a video of the warp or a needle drop of a sonic flaw. It all depends on the retailer.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2022
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  23. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Having to take a video or do a needle drop is more onus than I want to take on when all I’m trying to do is give my money to someone in exchange for a product that works correctly. It’s good to read that you have had independent retailers treat you well, though. I also appreciate that some of the reason a lot of them don’t is because they can’t support Amazon’s model, financially. They’re running their business the way they need to, and I wish them well. I’m just not as comfortable with that as I am a return policy and service model like Amazon’s.
     
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  24. SteveMaturin

    SteveMaturin Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I do. I have several small stores that I buy from. The affected Amazon order was an item that wasn’t in stock anywhere else. I’ve now placed a back order with a small shop. This was just the end for Amazon and me with vinyl.
     
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  25. GordonM

    GordonM Forum Resident

    Location:
    N.Ireland
    Yes it was a hassle but I knew I was dealing with an business who had demonstrated integrity in my dealings in the past, so I considered it acceptable that I be asked to back up my claim. I always offer to return a defective LP if asking for a replacement, but in these cases it was not required. Other independents require a return and I’m fine with that.

    Remarkably, that unpackaged LP I received today is no more warped than lots of other recent LPs I’ve received and it plays quiet after a bit of a brush! The sleeve is toast though!
     
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